Rick Rolling Gates

By J Daniel Valencia on November 10, 2017

Never gonna give you up, probablyNever gonna let you down, but Bob Mueller’s counting on itNever gonna run around and desert you, even though I got another passportNever gonna make you cry, you big babyNever gonna say goodbye, still got that passportNever gonna tell a lie, I don’t have to, and hurt you, you might tweet me

Rick Gates is a 45-year-old political consultant and lobbyist. He was deputy to Paul Manafort who was in charge of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Gates has been a protégé and partner to Manafort of and on for 20 years.

Gates and Manafort pled not guilty to 12 counts that include

Conspiracy to launder money

Conspiracy against the U.S. unregistered agent of a foreign principal,

False statements, and

Failure of filing reports of financial accounts and foreign banks to the special counsel.

According to the Washington Post, “None of the charges against Gates [connect him to] the main focus of Mueller’s investigation. But his nearly year-long presence in Trump’s orbit could make him a valuable witness, if he chooses to cooperate.

He is considered a flight risk. He recently obtained a passport that was not turned over when he was charged (as was required.)

After the 2007 financial crisis, Deripaska pursued Manafort and Gates, even petitioning against them in court alleging they owed him $19 million. His lawyer said Manafort and Gates “have simply disappeared.”

Gates was aware of George Papadopoulos’ attempts to broker a meeting between Trump and Putin. Manafort emailed Gates: “we need someone to communicate that [Trump] is not doing these trips. It should be someone low level in the campaign so as not to send any signal.” Gates replied that he would get a low level aide for the correspondence.

Gates remained in Trump’s circle even when after Manafort left due to increasing talk of his ties with Russians.